The invention relates to a separate produce sorting or grading unit that may be added to and removed from conventional produce harvesters without substantial alteration to the existing harvester.
Produce harvesters, such as tomato harvesters, are well known in the art. Harvesters of the type of which the unit of this invention may be added remove the growing tomato plants from the ground and separate the tomatoes from their vines and accompanying clods of dirt, etc. The separated tomatoes ultimately ride on a horizontal sorting conveyor from which the green and otherwise unacceptable tomatoes are removed, either by hand or by an automatic sorter.
It has developed in the automatic tomato sorting and grading industry that much of the automatic sorting apparatus is manufactured by companies that are different from the manufacturers of the harvester equipment. The sorting apparatus commonly includes a short singulator conveyor belt that presents the produce in aligned rows to the inspection unit. It was common in the past to physically "cut open" a standard harvester unit and weld or otherwise permanently insert the sorting or grading apparatus into the harvester in an attempt to make the harvester-sorter one integral unit. The modification work usually was performed at or near the farms where the existing harvesters were located. This work involved local workmen who did not always possess the required skills and training, and who were not under control of the manufacturer of the sorter equipment. Such modification involved substantial harvester down time, welding, custom fabrication, etc. In addition, after the sorter was inserted as an integral part of the harvester, it was difficult, if not impossible, to use the harvester in its original manner of operation. Also, the power requirements of the added sorter equipment may be such that the original harvester power supply could not supply the added load, thereby making it necessary to modify or replace the original harvester power supply.